TacticalStrategy
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Daily iPad App: Frozen Synapse simulates some very impressive turn-based strategy
Frozen Synapse has been a successful title on Steam for a while now -- it's a turn-based strategy game, with the twist being that you're a sort of tactical AI, running these battles on simulations and hardware rather than in real life. As a result, the big draw of Frozen Synapse is that while, like many other tactical strategy games, you are guiding a series of soldiers around turn by turn, these turns are actually simulated, and you can test them out and repeat them as many times as you like before playing out the "prime" sequence, and running the real thing. The pacing of the game is pretty perfect, then. Frozen Synapse has now been ported to the iPad, and the touchscreen gives you a whole lot of flexibility over what commands you can give your little soldiers: Just double tap on the screen to set up waypoints for them, and then you can drag those points around as needed. You can then run the simulation to see what happens, but of course your enemies don't always behave in the real world as they do in the sim, so it's up to you as commander to make sure you've planned for any contingencies in the various scripting you've passed out to your troops. Frozen Synapse is simple once you figure it out, but the UI allows you to do a lot with the little guys you control, and as a result can be fairly complicated. Still, there's lots of helpful tutorial videos included, and the good news is that there's no shortage of content for the game. In addition to a full campaign, you can also play instantly created skirmishes, or five different multiplayer modes. Frozen Synapse is available for a premium price of US$6.99, but that's much cheaper than the Steam version still goes for. If you're a tactical strategy fan, this one is a don't miss for sure.
Daily iPhone App: Wizard Ops Tactics offers well-made tactical battles
Wizard Ops arrived on the App Store a couple of years ago -- it was a wild and wooly take on magical combat that played more like a shooter than a fantasy RPG. Developers Phyken Media have now returned to the world of Wizard Ops, though not the genre, with a new title called Wizard Ops Tactics. As you may have reckoned from the title, Wizard Ops Tactics is a turn-based strategy game, where you move various wizards and combatants around a 3D board, casting spells across various terrains to beat the other side. Just like the original Wizard Ops, the graphics on this one can get a little goofy, but also like the original game, the depth of gameplay is very impressive. Each turn consists of a planning phase and an action phase, and while you can use as much time as you like to plan your turns, lining up the right moves in quick succession can get you combo bonuses and even allow you to get a nice advantage over the other team. Wizard Ops Tactics is great fun, offers lots and lots of content (you can play through a full campaign or get involved in turn-based multiplayer, all while unlocking new units and customizing your current ones), and it's completely free to download and play. Even if you didn't try the first Wizard Ops game, but are looking for a great example of turn-based strategy, go pick this one up today.
Daily iPad App: Great Big War Game
Last year, I was a big fan of the Great Little War Game for iOS -- what it lacked in the graphics department, it more than made up for in terms of tile-based tactical strategy (similar to Advance Wars or any of those other kinds of tactical war games). Now developer Rubicon has gone back to the well for a sequel, and the result is the Great Big War Game: It's exactly the same kind of title, only writ just a little larger. The graphics are slightly improved (though Rubicon has stuck with the very stylistic little big-headed soldiers, as well as a goofy story), but the big draw here is all of the additions: There are 50 new levels, lots of new units and upgrades to play with, online multiplayer, and some extra map packs and add-ons to purchase if what's in the base game isn't enough for you. Rubicon has made an already good tactical strategy game better, and added a bunch of other little improvements and upgrades as well. If you liked Great Little War Game, the Great Big version is a no-brainer, and even if you missed the first one (but the title sounds interesting to you), then Rubicon's latest is worth the purchase. You can get it as a universal version (without iCloud support, unfortunately) on the App Store right now for $2.99.
